Grant PUD approves contract for services

Work required with new license

EPHRATA - Grant County PUD commissioners approved a $250,000 contract this week for archeological services with a Bainbridge Island-based company.

The contract is needed so the utility can complete work associated with the new license for the Priest Rapids Hydroelectric Project, said Joe Lukas, Grant PUD's interim natural resources director.

A three-month activity report needed to be filed on July 16, but a letter explaining the circumstances of the cultural resources department was sent instead, Lukas said. He mentioned the death of senior archaeologist Pete Rice in May.

"This contract helps us scramble short-term to come up to speed on these requirements for the Department of Archaeology," Lukas said.

Rice's position will be filled by Mark DeLeon, who starts work on Sept. 2, said Sarah Morford, a utility spokesperson. Further information about DeLeon's expected salary and current employer wasn't available.

Work on site forms, such as the recording of archaeological sites needing additional data and possible conversion from isolated points to a full site registry need to be completed, Lukas said.

Lukas said the utility's senior archaeologist Brett Lenz previously worked with the consulting group, Cultural Resources Consultants Inc.

Grant PUD Commissioner Randy Allred asked why the utility wasn't seeking bids for the work and what makes the firm better than others.

Lukas agreed with Allred, but said the firm was one of the few groups able to step up and help quickly. There also aren't many firms available, Lukas said.

"This is one where we're really crunched for time, plus they're really cost-effective," he added.

The recent relicensing of the utility's Columbia River dams triggered a programmatic agreement between the district, the Federal Energy Regulator Commission and the archaeological regulator agencies, he said.

The agreement involves the management of historic properties affected by operations of the dams, according to Grant PUD's Web site.

The PUD must consult with many groups, including potentially affected tribes, the correct state Historic Preservation Office, Tribal Historical Preservation Office and the National Historic Preservation Advisory Council.